Menu

Adelaide Day Trips

As part of our road trip, after seeing the Silo Art Trail, we travelled to Adelaide via Pinnaroo. Using Adelaide as a base we did some great day trips – Barossa Valley, McLaren Vale and Victor Harbor. We need to revisit Adelaide as there is so much more to explore.

Day 1 – The Barossa

On our hit list for the Barossa Valley was Jacobs Creek, St Hugo, Yalumba and Seppeltsfield wineries, Barossa Valley Cheese and my favourite place of all time – Maggie Beer’s Farm Shop.

Maggie Beer’s Farm Shop

I’ll start with Maggie Beer’s Farm Shop. It was so lovely to just be there – it felt like Maggie was giving me a big hug. All the shop displays were done so beautifully and the views from every window were gorgeous! The lake was tranquil, the atmosphere was welcoming, a pleasure beyond words.

Jacobs Creek Winery

Jacob’s Creek visitors centre includes wine tasting, a restauant, and winemaking and historical displays. The view over the vineyards from the deck are lovely and you can take a walk through the vines.

St Hugo

St Hugo’s is built within the ruins of William Jacobs winery. There is a tasting room and restaurant. The deck and fireplace are stunning.

Yalumba

The grounds of Yalumba abound with roses and vines. The tasting room is warm and inviting.

Barossa Cheese Factory

The Barossa Cheese Factory has won numerous award for its cheeses and proudly source the milk for its cheese from local dairies. Their range includes cow and goats cheeses and is always seeking to increase their range. We sampled and brought!!

Seppeltsfield

The grounds of Seppeltsfield are peaceful and on the day we were there the members of a classic car club were picnicking and showing off their vehicles. The restaurant was busy and everyone was enjoying themselves. In the renovated 1850s stable building is housed the Jam Factory. It is an organisation that promotes outstanding design and craftsmanship providing studios, galleries and shops. The studio space when we were there included professional artisans working in media such as millinery, glass, ceramics, leather and knife-making.

Day 2 – McLaren Vale

Wow loved the McLaren Vale area. We visited Hardys, The Almond Train,The d’Arenberg Cube and had lunch at Red Poles. The weather was a bit bleak but it did’t stop us!

Hardys was warm and inviting and we were able to do a tour. Very interesting. They also had the Fleurieu Arthouse on the grounds – items for sale, studios and a great atmosphere.

The Almond Train

The Almond Trains is next door to Hardys. Its cute. First carriage has all sorts of almonds for sale and the second carriage is a cafe. The cafe serves usual fare plus unusual milkshake flavours – like blue heaven and even butterscotch! If you go, take a ticket stub or foreign notes to place under the glass topped table.

d’Arenberg Winery

d’Arenberg Winery is set in great grounds with statues, a restaurant and view to die for. The d’Arenberg Cube was opened in December 2017. What a place! The creation of Chester Osbourne the son of the founder, D’Arry, The Cube is not like anything you have seen before. Chester is known for his vibrant and eccentric personality. He and his Cube have been likened to Willy Wonka and his Chocolate Factory and it’s clear to see why.

At every turn you are visually stimulated. There are artworks, a 360 degree theatre, windows of interesting shapes through which you can view the vines and surrounding landscape, a tasting room so unlike any other. And don’t get me started on the bathrooms – walls and doors camouflaged in greenery, hand-basins and mirrors and then the wild art of the facilities themselves. Usually you go to a public restroom and its relatively quite, here there are exclamations and laughter.

Red Poles

We had lunch at Red Poles and it was delicious! The weather had been a bit cold and wet as so it was lovely to sit under their warm heaters on the enclosed veranda and have a hot and nourishing meal. There is an art gallery and wine tastings as well.

Day 3 – Victor Harbor

We purchased a Heritage Ticket to take a steam train to Goolwa, a cruise on a Paddle Steamer and then back to Victor Harbor to take a Horse Drawn Tram across to Granite Island.

We started the day in Victor Harbor and wandered this lovely holiday destination including the gorgeous train station. We then boarded the steam train to Goolwa. The train is run by volunteers and runs along the coast – quite a unique experience to see the surf beaches from the train.

We arrived in Goolwa and had time to explore before we boarded the PS Oscar W paddle steamer for a cruise along the lower Murray River. The steamer is also run by volunteers who did a great job. The markets on shore were interesting as was the band that was paying as we left.

When we arrived back in Victor Harbor via the steam train, we boarded the horse drawn tram that takes passengers across the bridge to Granite Island. This was fun despite the rain and wind!